A Ride to Forget
by IcyWaters
Summary: Lieutenant Gabriel, bound and gagged, was dressed in Zorro's clothes and astride Zorro's horse. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't going to escape this debacle with his dignity intact. Missing scene from episode 17 of Kaiketsu Zorro.


Disclaimer: This story is based on Kaiketsu Zorro, a 1996 anime produced by Mondo TV (Italy), Royal Pictures Company (Switzerland) and Toho Company (Japan). I don't own it.

Author's Note: I have officially fallen under the spell of the blond Zorro. My thanks go out to VampireNaomi for introducing me to this version of the masked hero and to Scroll Keeper for fueling my new craving and providing encouragement and feedback on this story. Extra special thanks to all who are fan subbing the anime and have shared English dubs.

* * *

**A Ride to Forget**

by  
IcyWaters

The white stallion bolted from army headquarters with the raw tenacity of a charging bull. Lieutenant Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, holding on for dear life as the beast jumped the guards stationed at the gate. Shouts from below coaxed one eyelid open. His men dropped their weapons as they dodged the powerful hooves.

Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. They wouldn't shoot him. It would be just his luck for those idiots to hit him while dressed in this grisly costume when they missed Zorro time and time again. Nothing could possibly be more humiliating with the exception of Commander Raymond burying him in the cape and mask.

Sergeant Gonzales' gruff voice rang from the courtyard. "Look, there goes Zorro!" Ferocious barking nearly drowned out the words. "Come on fools, get a move on."

Gabriel inhaled sharply. Damn that Zorro!

The beast veered onto the road leading away from San Tasco, the lieutenant swaying in the saddle. Not that there was any risk of falling off; rope secured his feet to the stirrups.

Wrists bound in front, the reins tucked in his hands, Gabriel reached up to yank the gag from his mouth. The beast zigzagged in response, flinging him side to side before gloved fingers brushed the fabric. He tried again. The beast repeated the maneuver, swinging him like a ragdoll.

Stupid horse.

Another attempt earned him a tour of an obstacle course, leaping steams and boulders, forcing Gabriel to grab hold the golden mane. A feral growl rattled in the lieutenant's throat as he bounced hard in the saddle.

He tugged the reins to bring the animal to a stop. Instead, it doubled its speed, mocking him the same as its master. The masked bastard plotted this torment. Damn him! Digging his heels into the horse's belly in protest, it slid to a halt and reared on its hind legs, pitching Gabriel backward. He struggled to sit upright as the beast shot forward in a blink.

The animal—Viento, Zorro called it—was as crazy as it was fast. It turned onto a bumpy trail, not slowing its pace one bit, kicking up rocks in the frenzy. Gabriel risked a glance behind. He didn't see his men or the dogs in pursuit.

He clung onto a sliver of hope that he might escape this mess with his dignity intact. He wasn't sure which would be more embarrassing—caught wearing the ridiculous attire or unable to elude his own men when Zorro did it regularly.

Gabriel needed to get off this mad beast and lose the clothes before the dogs caught up. Troops discovering him naked in the rocks was far preferable than the mask. Abandoning efforts to remove the gag, he focused on his wrists. The rope refused to give. Viento jumped a fence and maneuvered onto a main road.

Smooth ground beneath, Gabriel managed to wiggle his right foot free of the stirrup. Viento kept left at the fork in the road. Gabriel began working on his left ankle, twisting his boot against the fibers.

A wispy branch slapped him in the face. He looked up to find they were heading towards the woods. In the early morning hours, a light mist still coated the ground. Viento slowed while weaving between large trees. More thin branches smacked his cheeks.

Damn horse chose the path on purpose.

Gabriel resumed working to free his left foot. Vicious barking in the distance stopped him cold. The dogs! How did they keep up? He swallowed hard to force the lump of fear down his throat as his heart skipped a beat. Those mutts would shred him to pieces.

He dug his heels into Viento's sides to urge him faster. Daring a glance over his shoulder, he did not spy the attack dogs. As he turned back, his eyes widened in horror at the thick, low hanging branch.

It struck him square in the chest, knocking him off the saddle.

Gabriel landed hard on the dirt.

* * *

"Stupid dogs. Which way did Zorro go?"

"Don't blame them." Corporal Jacobo remained astride his mount while the four highly trained attack canines sniffed at the split in the road. "Their sense of smell is still messed up from the pepper." He indicated the right. "We chased Zorro this way last night. I bet he took the other path. That is why they are confused. They're picking up both scents."

Private Sancho shook his head. "I don't know. It might be another of his tricks. Lieutenant Gabriel is going to be mad if we return without Zorro."

"Sí," Jacobo agreed. He indicated half the troops. "You four take two of the dogs and search the path to the right. Sancho, you and the others follow me."

One hundred yards in, the pair of canines made a mad dash for the woods.

"Ha," Jacobo said. "Zorro can't escape now."

* * *

Gabriel rolled on his side to catch his breath. Inky blackness at the corners of his vision started to clear. He lay in the dewy grass staring at the pretty yellow stars dancing before his eyes until barking rattled in his ears. Bolting upright, he ignored the pain in his ribs, scrambled to his feet and faltered on the first step. Confused, he started at the stirrup still attached to his foot.

Near as he could tell, it broke loose.

That's when a shadowy mass knocked him back to the ground. Gabriel seized it by the neck and tossed it aside before teeth sank into flesh when a second charged forth. He kicked it off. Both mutts regrouped, poised in attack position with teeth bared. Gabriel slowly scooted backward until pinned against a tree.

Swearing under his breath, he watched and waited. One hurtled forward. He rolled to his side, kicked it into its companion and scurried up the tree. Powerful jaws latched on the cape, dragging him down.

Gabriel snatched a fallen tree limb and batted the dogs away.

"We have Zorro," Jacobo declared. The four uniformed men dismounted and readied their rifles.

Gabriel started to rip the gag out of his mouth to stop these idiots when a loud crack reverberated in the woods. He froze. The bullet dug into the dirt between his legs.

"Don't move, Zorro."

More barking rattled in his ears and he instinctively wielded the branch, keeping his attack dogs at bay. He reached for the gag for the umpteenth time when the muzzle of a rifle pressed to his forehead halted his movement. His gaze traced the length of the barrel to the corporal.

"I said don't move," Jacobo ordered. Three other rifles were also aimed at him.

Sancho seized the makeshift weapon and tossed it aside.

"You idiots!" Gabriel shouted, but it came out a garbled mess through the gag. "I'll court martial each and every one of you bastards!"

Sancho hit him with the butt of the rifle. "Silence, rebel traitor."

A private flanking Jacobo asked, "Should we unmask him?"

Gabriel nodded vigorously. Finally, one of the idiots displayed a glimmer of intelligence.

"Wait, Corporal," Sancho said as Jacobo's fingers neared the mask, "Zorro is awfully agreeable. It's as if he wants us to unmask him. This must be another of his tricks."

Jacobo retreated. "Sí, you might be right. Besides, the lieutenant will want the honors."

"No, you fools! You idiots!" But Gabriel's threats were nothing more than a muffled clamor. He tasted enough of their stupidity. The lieutenant grabbed for the gag. He never even touched the fabric.

They shoved him face-first into the dirt.

"Oh, no, you don't." Jacobo pressed his knee into the masked man's lower back. "Sancho, you double up with Eugenio. We'll allow Señor Zorro a horse to himself."

Gabriel thrashed and shouted as they tossed him over the saddle like a sack of potatoes, tying his hands and feet beneath the horse's belly. Eyebrow twitching, his cheeks flushed with raw fury and his temple pulsated. Once he got loose, he'd skin them all alive.

The damn dogs barked up a storm, laughing at him no doubt. Gabriel cursed the mutts out when he heard a growl, followed by soft footprints in the dirt. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his rear end. "Aargh!"

Jacobo and the soldiers burst out laughing. "Do not worry, Zorro, you won't have to sit long. I am sure Commander Raymond and Lieutenant Gabriel will execute you swiftly."

Any chance Gabriel had of escaping this debacle with his dignity intact ended. They paraded him along the main streets of San Tasco as the people went about their morning business. Citizens gasped at the sight of their hero trussed like a duck for supper. For once, he wished they would mount a rescue mission.

His bruised ribs ached with each step the horse took.

Dirt gave way to an immaculately manicured green lawn. They arrived at army headquarters. Sancho cut the rope securing him to the animal. Gabriel slid down and stumbled, landing on his butt. A sharp cry of pain radiated through the gag.

"Private Eugenio," Jacobo ordered, "Alert Lieutenant Gabriel and Sergeant Gonzales."

Gabriel sat eerily unmoving, pure rage trouncing the pain and humiliation he suffered, while plotting increasingly devilish ways to punish them. Gonzales halted a few feet from the man in black, his eyes widening. "You really did capture Zorro."

"Sí," Jacobo replied, his chest puffing with insufferable pride.

Gabriel vowed to make the corporal pay the most.

Gonzales laughed. "Lieutenant Gabriel will be sorry he missed this."

"He is not here?" Jacobo asked.

"I have not seen him today and he is not in his quarters." Gonzales studied Zorro, his brow furrowing as he did. "We may as well unmask him." The sergeant stood over his prisoner and paused. "Something is not right about this. He is too calm."

Jacobo chuckled. "We taught him a lesson in humility."

"How did you catch him?"

"We chased him like you ordered us to."

Gonzales pursed his lips. "Zorro scratched a 'Z' on the seat of my trousers less than an hour ago. How could you have chased him when he was…" his voice trailed off. "I do not remember Zorro being so tan." He gulped and motioned for two soldiers to help the prisoner stand. "I do not remember him being this tall, either. That angry stare is just like… Oh, no…"

The sergeant raised a shaky hand to the mask. He no sooner pulled it away than he fainted.

"L-Lieutenant," Jacobo stammered as the others attempted to sneak away.

Gabriel ripped the gag off. "Attention! You idiots! You buffoons! I will have you all flogged and put before the firing squad for this!" One of the dogs growled. A glare from Gabriel silenced it as the privates raced to restrain the animals. "I want those damn mutts shot."

"S-Sí," Jacobo said, trembling in his boots.

Guards stationed at the gate dragged the dogs from sight.

Gabriel stalked closer with a limp. He drew the man's sword in order to cut the ropes at his wrists. Beads of sweat dripped from Jacobo's brow.

Hands free, Gabriel sliced the air with the blade, ending with the point pressed against Jacobo's neck. He took sadistic pleasure in watching the corporal tremble. The other three who captured him paled and swayed on their feet.

"Here's a lesson in humility. You will run fifty laps around the perimeter upon dismissal. Then you are confined to the barracks without food or water. Tomorrow morning, you will each get thirty lashes for woeful insubordination. And that is only the beginning." Gabriel took another step and loomed tall over his corporal. "Next time you catch Zorro," he whispered, "you had better damn well unmask him on the spot."

"Don't be so hard on them, Lieutenant."

Gabriel spun toward the familiar, taunting voice. The grinning bastard sat atop the perimeter wall, his little rat at his elbow. "Zorro! You'll pay for this!"

"They were only following army orders. I'll send you a bill for the saddle repair." Zorro and Little Zorro jumped from their perch. The white stallion zipped past the open gate.

"Shoot him!" But they reacted too slowly. "What are you waiting for? After him!"

Gonzales stirred awake to glimpse mounted troops barreling from the courtyard. He clambered to his feet and adjusted his hat. "Uh, what happened?" He blinked hard. "Why are you dressed like that, Lieutenant?"

"I'll deal with you later, Gonzales." Gabriel hobbled toward his quarters, massaging his tender backside, the sergeant quick on his heels.

"What did I do?"

"For starters, you were tasked with securing headquarters. If you had done your job properly, Zorro would not have managed to do this," he motioned to the costume, "to me." Gabriel stopped at the front entrance. "Send for the doctor at once." He slammed the front door in the sergeant's face.

"What a miserable, hell of a morning," Gabriel muttered to himself while navigating the halls, tearing the stupid clothes off with each step. He vowed to kill Zorro if it was the last thing he ever did. "At least the day can only get better from here." Turning the corner, he froze.

Commander Raymond slowed his pace, one eyebrow arching. "What is the meaning of this, Lieutenant?"

**The End**


End file.
